Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Boaz is a city in Etowah and Marshall Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is part of the 'Gadsden, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area'. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 7,411. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 7,893. Boaz is nationally known as an outlet shopping destination. It is the "Shop 'til you drop" Capital of Alabama.